“The Year I Didn’t Give CAT — And Still Didn’t Give Up.”
Last year, I didn’t sit for CAT. Not because I wasn’t serious. Not because I lacked dreams. But because life decided to test me in ways I didn’t sign up for. It started with chickenpox. Yes — something that sounds small when people talk about it later. But in that moment? Fever. Weakness. Isolation. Days where even getting up felt like climbing a mountain. While others were preparing, revising, pushing forward — I was counting rashes and waiting to heal. And when my body finally recovered, my mind didn’t. Because somewhere between medicines and missed plans, I lost confidence. I started doubting myself. “Maybe I’m not meant for this.” “Maybe I’m already too late.” And then came the second blow — friends who I trusted, who knew my goals, who smiled with me — but behind my back? Dhokla. Betrayal. The kind that doesn’t just hurt, it makes you question your worth. I won’t lie. I broke. I stopped believing in my potential. I stopped believing in timing. I stopped believing in people. B...